More Cases Of UK & South African Coronavirus Variants In CT: DPH

CONNECTICUT — An additional 93 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant of the coronavirus, the so-called U.K. variant, have been reported in Connecticut.

Although the three vaccines currently available to Connecticut residents will protect against B.1.1.7, that particular strain is notable for spreading more rapidly, as it is more transmissible.

The total number of Connecticut residents that have been infected by the U.K. variant is 174, in these communities:

• Beacon Falls: 1
• Bloomfield: 1
• Branford: 6
• Bridgeport: 7
• Bristol: 1
• Burlington: 1
• Cheshire: 3
• Cromwell: 1
• East Haven: 5
• Fairfield: 1
• Greenwich: 2
• Guilford: 2
• Hamden: 6
• Madison: 1
• Meriden: 5
• Middlefield: 1
• Middletown: 1
• Naugatuck: 3
• New Britain: 1
• New Hartford: 1
• New Haven: 34
• North Branford: 7
• North Canaan: 2
• North Haven: 4
• Norwich: 1
• Oxford: 7
• Prospect: 1
• Rocky Hill: 2
• Seymour: 2
• Shelton: 1
• Southbury: 2
• Southington: 2
• Stamford: 4
• Stratford: 2
• Thomaston: 2
• Thompson: 1
• Torrington: 1
• Wallingford: 14
• Waterbury: 16
• Watertown: 2
• West Hartford: 1
• West Haven: 10
• Westbrook: 1
• Wethersfield: 1
• Wilton: 1
• Windham: 1
• Wolcott: 1
• Woodbridge: 1

The state Department of Public Health also announced Friday that an additional four cases of the B.1.351 — the South African variant — of COVID-19, have been reported in Connecticut. That brings the statewide total number of confirmed cases of this variant to six, in the following towns:

• Ansonia: 2
• Danbury: 1
• Greenwich: 1
• New Milford: 2

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that, as with its U.K. cousin, the South African variation is no more lethal than plain vanilla COVID-19, but is more contagious.

Overall coronavirus hospitalizations continued to decline overnight. Two more beds were vacated Thursday, bringing the total number of Connecticut residents hospitalized with COVID-19 to 381.

The daily coronavirus positivity rate remained low, at 2.47 percent.

As of Monday, 11.59 percent of the state's population have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. On Friday, Gov. Ned Lamont joined those ranks. He received his second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford.

"I view receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as part of my obligation to protect myself, members of my administration, and my family," Lamont said. "As we continue our vaccine rollout, I continue to urge all of our residents to receive their vaccination once they are eligible. These vaccines are safe, effective, and they will help us get back to normal."

The governor received his first dose of the vaccine on February 16.

The number of COVID-19 cases went up by 1,185 on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases in Connecticut to 290,577. There were four more COVID-19-associated deaths, making that toll 7,765 since the start of the pandemic.